PRACTICE TRENDS IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF PROSTATE-CANCER INTHE UNITED-STATES

Purpose: The American Urological Association first commissioned the Ga llup Organization of Princeton, New Jersey to conduct a study to asses s urologists' practice patterns in 1991. Materials and Methods: A rand om sample of 514 American urologists was surveyed by the Gallup Organi zation regarding practice patterns used in the staging and treatment o f prostate cancer. The third annual survey taken during August 1994 as ked questions regarding the practice of respondents in their diagnosis and management of prostatic cancer. Results: The survey revealed that 95% of the respondents would recommend radical prostatectomy for men younger than 70 years with confirmed clinically localized prostate can cer. Conclusions: In this patient age group, surprisingly, the survey resulted in some interesting facts: 1) 13% regard hormonal manipulatio n for early stage cancer appropriate, 2) the respondents used extensiv e numbers of diagnostic staging studies in the new prostate cancer pat ient with a prostate specific antigen of less than 10 and 3) despite t he obvious increased costs, the majority of patients receiving hormone manipulation were being treated with luteinizing hormone-releasing ho rmone agonists rather than orchiectomy.